1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cattle stanchion apparatus and more particularly to a safety release apparatus for both single and double release cattle stanchions.
2. Background Art
The current state of the art in cattle stanchions is best exemplified by ALBERS, SR., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,476,815, and 4,495,897. The first ALBERS patent '815 teaches a single release cattle stanchion while '897 teaches a double release cattle stanchion. Both the single and double release stanchions are controlled by a rotatable and axially movable positioner or actuator rod which has a series of couplers protruding radially outward from its surface for engaging the latches located on the top end of the individual release stanchions.
Because the latches of both the single and double release stanchions of ALBERS are exposed on their top side, they present a serious health hazard to the operator. During the course of veterinary examinations and animal lock-up, there are instances wherein an individual cow must be released from the stanchion without releasing any of the other cattle. The operator must somehow flip the latch up over the coupler allowing the release stanchion to fall to an open position. Very strong pressures can be exerted on the release stanchion by the cow which makes releasing the stanchion a precarious and dangerous operation. In fact, most operators opt to use a metal rod of some sort to flip the latch over the coupler. The problem is that there is no safe place to grab the release stanchion to counteract the pressure exerted by cow and subsequently flip the latch over the coupler.
The double release stanchion presents an additional problem of the cows being able to bounce the stop latch over the coupler allowing the release stanchion to pivot into the down cattle position and the cow can thereby free itself. This can be very dangerous for the cattlemen when trying to attend to the cow during pregnancy testing, vaccination, animal tagging, etc. The double release stanchion apparatus represents a great improvement over the single release stanchion in that a provision is made for freeing a downed animal, however, it also presents an additional hazard in that the stop latch must be flipped up and over the coupler to allow the release stanchion to pivot into the open downed animal position. Again, most operators opt to use some sort of metal rod rather than getting their hands close to the stanchion release latches.
What is needed is a release apparatus which provides a safe handhold for the operator, thereby allowing the operator to grab ahold of the release stanchion in order to counteract the forces exerted by the cow and flip the latch up over the coupler in order to release the stanchion. A second need is an improved latch for the double release stanchion which cuts down the possibility of a cow freeing itself by bouncing the stop latch over the coupler and releasing the stanchion into the open downed animal position.